Transmigrated into My Own Tragic Novel

Common Enemy

Under the shroud of night, the black luxury car glided slowly toward the mansion—a gilded cage known as “home.”

Inside the car, the silence was suffocating.

Kane sat like a storm about to break, the air around him so charged, it was hard to breathe. His presence radiated danger, his expression unreadable, cold.

Just like the stories Evelyn had written… Betty had gone back in the end.

But this time, something was different.

Evelyn shrank into the corner of the passenger seat, trying her best to reduce her presence. Her mind, however, was spinning faster than a supercomputer.

“What is he angry about now?” she analyzed silently. “According to Kane’s character settings, he should feel provoked—betrayed, even. Betty dared to resist. She dared to run to Theo for protection. That was, in his twisted logic, a direct challenge to his authority. In his eyes, Betty is a possession. Something that belongs to him. Even if he throws her away, she has no right to choose another man—especially his rival.”

“With Kane, punishment is never off the table,” she reminded herself grimly. “In the original draft, whenever Betty disobeyed, he locked her in the underground wine cellar. Once, for three whole days. Damp, cold, and enough to trigger her chronic illness…”

A cold shiver ran down Evelyn’s spine. She nearly slapped herself. Why the hell did I write so much abuse? Couldn’t I have been nicer to my female lead?

As she silently cursed her own past writing decisions, the car slowly pulled into the gates of the Langston estate. The grandiose mansion loomed ahead, both majestic and unbearably oppressive.

The headlights swept across the front courtyard—and Evelyn’s eyes caught a scene that made her heart jolt.

Standing by the main entrance was a woman wrapped in luxurious fur, her body dripping in jewels. Next to her stood a teenage boy, around seventeen or eighteen, shifting nervously on his feet. The butler stood nearby, speaking to them.

Carrie.

Kane’s stepmother.

And Langston Scott, his half-brother.

Oh, she remembered this plotline clearly. In the original story, the mother-son duo appeared right around this point.

Years ago, during the Langston family’s financial crisis, Carrie had taken the last of their liquid assets and a vault of jewelry, abandoning a young Kane and her terminally ill husband. She fled, disappearing without a trace.

Now, hearing the Langston empire had risen from the ashes—stronger than ever—Carrie came slinking back with her son, playing the part of the regretful family member. Rumor had it she charmed the old patriarch into letting them stay temporarily.

The original Betty, ever soft-hearted and naive, welcomed them with kindness.

A rookie mistake.

“Perfect,” Evelyn’s eyes lit up with a sudden idea, barely suppressing a smile.

“Trying to please Kane is hard. But hating the same person as him? That’s a shortcut to his cold heart.”

The car stopped.

A bodyguard came forward and opened the door.

Kane stepped out first, his gaze instantly landing on the two unwelcome guests. His face, already stormy in the car, turned glacial.

Carrie plastered on a fake smile, dragging her son forward. “Kane! You’re back! You must be exhausted from work. Scott just spent some time chatting with your grandfather. He’s missed seeing him.”

Scott, clearly intimidated by his older brother, avoided eye contact and clung to his mother like a shadow.

Kane didn’t even blink.

Without sparing them a glance, he began walking toward the house.

Carrie’s smile froze mid-face. The tension was thick, humiliating.

Just then, Evelyn stepped out of the car.

Carrie spotted her immediately and latched on like a lifeline. “Oh my, is that Betty? It’s been so long! You’ve grown even more beautiful! Come here, darling, let me take a look at you—”

Kane narrowed his eyes. He was certain the woman beside him would, like before, naively fall for Carrie’s sugary act.

But to his surprise—

Evelyn merely gave Carrie a passing glance. Cold. Distant. With just the faintest hint of mocking disdain.

She didn’t respond to the false warmth.

Instead, she stepped forward and—under everyone’s stunned gaze—reached out and gently linked her arm through Kane’s.

Kane stiffened instantly.

What the hell was she doing?

Wasn’t this the same woman who just hours ago was trying to escape to Theo?

Now she was… clinging to him?

But before he could shake her off, her voice—soft yet cutting—reached his ears.

Snuggled by Kane’s side, Evelyn lifted her chin with quiet arrogance and said in a voice laced with ice:

“This woman—please don’t act familiar with me. The Langston estate doesn’t welcome just any stray cat or dog wandering in, nor do we appreciate people trying to claim blood ties they threw away years ago.”

Her voice rang out clear and cold.

“Especially those who turned their backs on this family in its darkest hour and ran off with stolen assets. Now that the Langstons are thriving again, you think you can crawl back and take a bite? The audacity is… astonishing.”

Her gaze slid to the pale-faced boy beside Carrie. Her tone softened—just slightly.

“And this little young master… heard you’re not in great health? Then I suggest you stay quiet and rest. Don’t follow in certain people’s footsteps—jumping around, making trouble, thinking you’re important. Because this household… answers to Kane now.”

Her words hit the ground like thunderclaps.

Silence fell.

The butler, the bodyguards—everyone stood frozen, jaws slack.

Was this really the weak, obedient woman they all thought they knew?

Carrie’s face twisted. Her powdered cheeks turned green and white, fingers trembling as she pointed at Evelyn. “You… you insolent little—! Betty! How dare you speak to me like this? I’m Kane’s stepmother! I’m your elder!”

Evelyn let out a soft laugh.

She tightened her grip on Kane’s arm.

“Respect is earned, not demanded. And frankly, I don’t see an elder here—just an opportunist with no shame.”

Then, she tilted her head, looking up at the man beside her. Her voice turned sweet. Almost playful.

“Right, Kane? Didn’t I do a good job?”

Kane blinked.

He looked down at the woman clinging to him, her eyes sharp like a little cat baring its claws—only to turn and ask for praise like she’d done something clever.

The contrast struck him like a slap.

He didn’t like being touched. Yet he hadn’t pulled away.

He hated being used. Yet watching her use him to humiliate someone he loathed?

It felt… satisfying?

Something unrecognizable stirred deep in his chest. A ripple in his frozen heart. He didn’t understand it.

But one thing was certain—

The fury he’d been ready to unleash on her was… gone.

He looked up slowly, his gaze cutting like a blade toward Carrie’s crumbling expression. His voice, when it came, was like shards of ice.

“What she said… is what I mean.”

“You’re not welcome here. Without my permission, you’re never to step foot in this house again.”

“Now get out.”